.Thursday’s Briefing: Fremont Police ‘transparency portal’ website called ‘Hollywood spin’;

Insurance claims from last year's California wildfires top $12 billion

News you don’t want to miss for May 9:




1. A First Amendment expert said a new website created by Fremont Police to release videos of officer-involved shootings amounts to “Hollywood spin” of the events and fails to fulfill the requirements of the California Public Records Act, KQED reports.




2. East Bay state Sen. Steve Glazer, in an opinion piece for Cal Matters, writes that cities giving up tax revenues in an effort to lure large corporations is “foolhardy” and with no guarantee they will bring high-paying jobs. Glazer has a bill proposing a ban on cities using new sales tax deals to entice corporations or “online sales offices.”




3. Ghost Ship trial: A fire code inspector testified Wednesday that responsibility for keeping any building code up-to-date following changing to its specific use rests with the “person making change,” SFGate reports. That person is alleged to be Derick Almena and Max Harris, the individuals charged with 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter following the deadly December 2016 fire in Oakland.




4. “At a time when Oakland is trying to cure its pothole epidemic, the city is planning to use $2.9 million in state gas tax money to keep its streetlights on, then use what it saves of its own money to stave off cuts in parks and recreation,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports. $$




5. Insurance claims stemming from the devastation California wildfires last year are now more than $12 billion, the Associated Press reports. The amount tops the $11.8 billion in claims made the year prior.




6. California Attorney General Xavier Beccera joined a growing movement asking Congress to allow cannabis businesses to have access to banking institutions, the Sacramento Bee reports. Oakland and few other East Bay cities remain active in studying the possibility of a public bank that could also support banking for the local cannabis industry. $$




7. An exciting few hours in Bay Area sports last night. The Warriors, without Kevin Durant, who left the game with a right calf injury, beat the Houston Rockets, 104-99 to take a 3-2 lead in their NBA Playoffs second round series, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Down the road, the Sharks beat the Avanlance, 3-2, to advance to their second Western Conference Finals in four years. Later, the A’s topped the Reds, 5-4, on a Stephen Piscotty walk-off homer in the 13th inning. $$




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